--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Contrary to the current presumption, if…" description: "\"“Contrary to the current presumption, if there is any man who has no right to solitude, it is the artist. Art cannot be a monologue. When the most soli..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d5/albert-camus-47_art_contrary-to-the-current-presumption-if-t_1717483.jpg" --- # Contrary to the current presumption, if there is any man… ![“Contrary to the current presumption, if there is any man who has no right to solitude, it is the artist. Art cannot be a monologue. When the most solitary and least famous artist appeals to posterity, he is merely reaffirming his fundamental vocation. Considering a dialogue with deaf or…” quote by Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d5/albert-camus-47_art_contrary-to-the-current-presumption-if-t_1717483.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d5/albert-camus-47_art_contrary-to-the-current-presumption-if-t_1717483.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d5/albert-camus-47_art_contrary-to-the-current-presumption-if-t_1717483.jpg) > ““Contrary to the current presumption, if there is any man who has no right to solitude, it is the artist. Art cannot be a monologue. When the most solitary and least famous artist appeals to posterity, he is merely reaffirming his fundamental vocation. Considering a dialogue with deaf or inattentive contemporaries to be impossible, he appeals to a more far-reaching dialogue with the generations to come. But in order to speak about all and to all, one has to speak of what all know and of the reality common to us all. The sea, rains, necessity, desire, the struggle against death—these are the things that unite us all. We resemble one another in what we see together, in what we suffer together. Dreams change from individual to individual, but the reality of the world is common to us all.”” [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artists must engage with humanity, using shared experiences to communicate across time. **In simple terms:** Artists speak to universal human truths. Key Takeaway Create work that resonates with common human experiences. Themes art communication humanity universality solitude Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical creative inspirational When to use this quote - painting - writing - music - public speaking Key Concepts existentialism shared experience dialogue Questions to Reflect On - What universal truths can your art express? - How do you balance personal vision with collective experience? A Different Perspective Artists may still be misunderstood despite universal themes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Monologue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monologue/) [Solitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solitude/) ## Related quotes > [Added to the moral solitude of the murderer comes the solitude of the artist, which can acknowledge no authority, save that of another artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-genet/added-to-the-moral-solitude-of-the-murderer-comes-the-solitude-of-the/) [Jean Genet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-genet/) > [An artist requires the upkeep of creative solitude. An artist requires the healing of time alone. Without this period of recharging, our artist becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/an-artist-requires-the-upkeep-of-creative-solitude-an-artist-requires/) [Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/) > [That is very different from how it used to be in the 20th century. Media was very one way. There's a small little industry.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/that-is-very-different-from-how-it-used-to-be-in-the-20th-century/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [“There is a solitude in poverty, but a solitude that gives everything back its value. At a certain level of wealth, the heavens themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/there-is-a-solitude-in-poverty-but-a-solitude-that-gives-everything/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [After all perhaps the greatness of art lies in the perpetual tension between beauty and pain, the love of men and the madness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/after-all-perhaps-the-greatness-of-art-lies-in-the-perpetual-tension/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [In order to understand the world, one has to turn away from it on occasion; in order to serve others better, one has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/in-order-to-understand-the-world-one-has-to-turn-away-from-it-on/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“A fool, a fool! I met a fool i' the forest, A motley fool; a miserable world! As I do live by food, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-fool-a-fool-i-met-a-fool-i-the-forest-a-motley-fool-a-miserable/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“The perfect being, huh? There is no such thing as perfect in this world. That may sound cliché, but it’s the truth. The average…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tite-kubo/the-perfect-being-huh-there-is-no-such-thing-as-perfect-in-this-world/) [Tite Kubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tite-kubo/) > [“This continuous monologue that seeks to become a dialogue... (Zoltan Galos)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zj-galos/this-continuous-monologue-that-seeks-to-become-a-dialogue-zoltan-galos/) ZJ Galos > [Theatre aside, my penchant for the extended monologue began with my reading of Browning's dramatic monologues, in high school. My inclination to adopt the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lock/theatre-aside-my-penchant-for-the-extended-monologue-began-with-my/) [Norman Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lock/) > [“He said that he felt that there was a book hidden between us. Some small thing lodged between a rib or a summer. and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikl-paul/he-said-that-he-felt-that-there-was-a-book-hidden-between-us-some/) [Mikl Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikl-paul/) > [There should be a rule against your own inner monologue throwing around that much sarcasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/there-should-be-a-rule-against-your-own-inner-monologue-throwing/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [I must remind the right honourable gentleman that a monologue is not a decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clement-attlee/i-must-remind-the-right-honourable-gentleman-that-a-monologue-is-not/) [Clement Attlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clement-attlee/) > [“Men of the cloth live in this monologue, it is their due: nobody talks back to a pulpit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-sinclair/men-of-the-cloth-live-in-this-monologue-it-is-their-due-nobody-talks/) [Iain Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-sinclair/) > [“The actual writing would be easy. All he had to do was to transfer to paper the interminable restless monologue that had been running…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/the-actual-writing-would-be-easy-all-he-had-to-do-was-to-transfer-to/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) ## More by Albert Camus > [“The whole town rushed outside to celebrate this crowded minute when the time of suffering had ended and the time of forgetting had not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-whole-town-rushed-outside-to-celebrate-this-crowded-minute-when/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Generally, I like all islands. There, it is easier to rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/generally-i-like-all-islands-there-it-is-easier-to-rule/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Being is good, but getting rich is better… If the gods had only the riches of men's adoration, they would be as poor as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/being-is-good-but-getting-rich-is-better-if-the-gods-had-only-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The more I produce, the less I am certain. On the road along which the artist walks, night falls ever more densely. Finally, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-more-i-produce-the-less-i-am-certain-on-the-road-along-which-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“Having been, not only mutilated in our country, wounded in our very flesh, but also divested of our most beautiful images, for you gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/having-been-not-only-mutilated-in-our-country-wounded-in-our-very/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I've seen of enough of people who die for an idea. I don't believe in heroism; I know it's easy and I've learned it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-ve-seen-of-enough-of-people-who-die-for-an-idea-i-don-t-believe-in/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The best are led to make greater demands upon themselves. As for those who succumb, they did not deserve to survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-best-are-led-to-make-greater-demands-upon-themselves-as-for-those/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“Then he asked me if I wasn’t interested in a change of life. I said that people never change their lives, that in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/then-he-asked-me-if-i-wasn-t-interested-in-a-change-of-life-i-said/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Life is meaningless, but worth living, provided you recognize it's meaningless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/life-is-meaningless-but-worth-living-provided-you-recognize-it-s/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Thinking of the future, establishing aims for oneself, having preferences-all this presupposes a belief in freedom, even if one occasionally ascertains that one doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/thinking-of-the-future-establishing-aims-for-oneself-having/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I explained to him, however, that my nature was such that my physical needs often got in the way of my feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-explained-to-him-however-that-my-nature-was-such-that-my-physical/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-only-way-to-deal-with-an-unfree-world-is-to-become-so-absolutely/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“We love people not because for good they did for us, but for good we did for them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/we-love-people-not-because-for-good-they-did-for-us-but-for-good-we/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [You have so much inside you, and the noblest happiness of all. Don’t just wait for a man to come along. That’s the mistake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/you-have-so-much-inside-you-and-the-noblest-happiness-of-all-don-t/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The desire for possession is insatiable, to such a point that it can survive even love itself. To love, therefore, is to sterilize the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-desire-for-possession-is-insatiable-to-such-a-point-that-it-can/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) [Explore all 1,600 Albert Camus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Contrary to the current presumption, if there is any man who has no right to solitude, it is the artist. Art cannot be a monologue. When the most solitary and least famous artist appeals to posterity, he is merely reaffirming his fundamental vocation. Considering a dialogue with deaf or inattentive contemporaries to be impossible, he appeals to a more far-reaching dialogue with the generations to come. But in order to speak about all and to all, one has to speak of what all know and of the reality common to us all. The sea, rains, necessity, desire, the struggle against death—these are the things that unite us all. We resemble one another in what we see together, in what we suffer together. Dreams change from individual to individual, but the reality of the world is common to us all.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Albert Camus" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/contrary-to-the-current-presumption-if-there-is-any-man-who-has-no/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/contrary-to-the-current-presumption-if-there-is-any-man-who-has-no/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d5/albert-camus-47_art_contrary-to-the-current-presumption-if-t_1717483.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d5/albert-camus-47_art_contrary-to-the-current-presumption-if-t_1717483.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d5/albert-camus-47_art_contrary-to-the-current-presumption-if-t_1717483.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Contrary to the current presumption, if there is any man who has no right to solitude, it is the artist. Art…” — Albert Camus", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Albert Camus", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Contrary to the current presumption, if...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/contrary-to-the-current-presumption-if-there-is-any-man-who-has-no/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/contrary-to-the-current-presumption-if-there-is-any-man-who-has-no/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```